What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
There is no single cost: it depends on the PC’s average power draw at the wall and your electricity rate. Measure the computer while it is doing the work you intend to leave running, then multiply its monthly energy use by the rate on your bill.
Calculate the monthly electricity cost
Use this estimate for a 30.4-day average month:
Monthly energy (kWh) = average wall draw (watts) ÷ 1,000 × 24 × 30.4
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Monthly energy cost = monthly energy (kWh) × electricity price per kWh
The 30.4-day factor approximates an average month. For a specific billing period, substitute its actual number of days. The result estimates the added energy charge; it excludes fixed service charges, unusual tariff tiers and other household use. A 24/7 load runs for 720 hours in a 30-day month or 744 hours in a 31-day month.
#1 Best Overall
- POWERHOUSE 8-CORE GAMING PERFORMANCE — Driven by the AMD Ryzen 7 8700F with 8 cores and 16 threads, boosting up to 5.0 GHz for smooth, responsive gameplay and the ability to handle AAA titles, streaming, and background tasks all at once
- NEXT-GEN BLACKWELL ARCHITECTURE — The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is powered by NVIDIA's cutting-edge Blackwell GPU architecture, delivering a massive generational leap in rasterization and ray tracing performance so you can experience your games the way they were meant to be played.
- Simplistic Design: Enjoy the latest generation of Windows 11 Home for your everyday needs. *MSI recommends Windows 11 Pro for business use.
- Cool While Gaming: In conjunction with an ARGB fan Air Cooler, the Codex R2 features four system cooling fans; three in the front and one in the rear to pull in cool air and push heat out of the PC.
- Turn on the Bright Lights: With the built-in RGB lighting, take your gaming experience to the next level by pressing the MSI LED button to cycle through lighting options. Customize lighting even further with MSI Center software.
Illustrative U.S. examples
The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s March 2026 Electric Power Monthly reports a January 2026 U.S. residential average of 17.45 cents per kWh, and a 2025 annual average of 17.30 cents per kWh. These are national averages, not your personal tariff. The examples below use $0.1745 per kWh and are arithmetic scenarios, not claims about typical old gaming PCs. EIA Electric Power Monthly
| Average wall draw | Energy in a 30.4-day month | Estimated cost at $0.1745/kWh |
|---|---|---|
| 50 W | 36.48 kWh | About $6.37 |
| 100 W | 72.96 kWh | About $12.73 |
| 200 W | 145.92 kWh | About $25.45 |
For other locations, use the applicable price per kWh from your bill. If your plan has time-of-use rates or tiers, apply the relevant rate to the hours or usage in each band rather than assuming one flat price.
Rank #2
- Legend perfected: Modern design with a matte basalt black finish in an optimized chassis with customizable AlienFX lighting zones, including the striking stadium lighting.
- Game changing graphics: Step into the future of gaming and creation with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 graphics, powered by NVIDIA Blackwell architecture.
- Marathon gaming unlocked: This high-performance technology ensures clean energy is consistently available, unleashing the top-level power of Intel Core Ultra 7 265F processor as you game, livestream, and multi-task for hours on end.
- Total command: Alienware Command Center software allows you to create and edit AlienFX lighting across the ecosystem, choose and monitor your performance mode across distinct power states, and create custom gaming profiles for your whole library.
- Dell Services: 1 Year Onsite Service provides support when and where you need it. Dell will come to your home, office, or location of choice, if an issue covered by Limited Hardware Warranty cannot be resolved remotely.
Measure the PC’s actual power draw
The useful number is total system draw at the wall, not the CPU or graphics card’s reported wattage. A suitably rated plug-in electricity usage monitor or watt meter can measure the PC’s outlet use.
Recommended Free Tools
- Measure the equipment that will actually stay on. If the monitor will be off, leave it out. If a display, capture device or other equipment will remain powered, measure or account for it separately.
- Run the intended stream workload. Measure representative operation, not just idle draw or maximum component power. If load varies as the video or playlist cycles, record energy over a representative period.
- Convert a measured energy reading to average watts if needed. Use average watts = kWh × 1,000 ÷ elapsed hours. Then apply the monthly formula above, or calculate the cost directly from the measured kWh and your rate.
- Use your marginal electricity rate. Check the bill for the price that applies to additional consumption, including time-of-use periods or tiers where applicable.
This turns the estimate into a machine-specific answer. A plug-in monitor is the relevant tool category; no particular make or model is established here.
Rank #3
- Processor specifications: Adopting AMD Ryzen 5 5600 processor, with a basic clock speed of 3.5GHz and a turbo frequency of 4.4GHz, it can achieve fast response computing performance
- Graphics Card: Features GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card with 6GB dedicated video memory for gaming and multimedia applications
- Memory configuration: Equipped with 32GB DDR4 RAM (16GB * 2), providing sufficient memory capacity for multitasking and demanding applications
- Gaming Performance: Designed to handle modern gaming titles and graphics-intensive tasks with smooth frame rates and visual quality
- Desktop System: Complete gaming desktop computer system ready for setup and use out of the box
What YouTube’s stream settings tell you—and what they do not
YouTube describes an encoder as software or hardware that converts video into a digital format for streaming. Its encoder guidance lists RTMP/RTMPS and H.264, H.265/HEVC and AV1 options. The recommended bitrate depends on resolution, frame rate and codec; for example, YouTube recommends 5–14 Mbps for 1080p at 30 fps using H.264. Test with representative audio and motion and monitor stream health. YouTube also states that streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. YouTube encoder settings and live-streaming guidance
Those settings help describe the workload, but they do not establish how many watts an unspecified old PC will draw. Nor do they guarantee that its hardware can encode the chosen format or run reliably around the clock. Measure the actual machine with the intended settings and assess compatibility and stability separately.
Rank #4
- POWERED BY RTX 5070 12GB + RYZEN 7 9700X - The GeForce RTX 5070 12GB GDDR7 graphics card pairs with an 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 9700X processor to drive smooth 1440p and 4K gameplay, giving this gaming PC the headroom for modern titles, streaming, and creative work.
- 32GB DDR5 6000MHz MEMORY & 1TB NVMe SSD - 32GB of high-speed DDR5 memory and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe solid state drive deliver quick load times, smooth multitasking, and generous storage, keeping this prebuilt gaming desktop responsive under heavy workloads.
- BUILT-IN 11.3-INCH Smart DISPLAY - An integrated smart screen shows real-time CPU and GPU temperatures, usage, and weather while you play, adding a distinctive and functional touch to your battlestation.
- 850W 80+ GOLD POWER SUPPLY, 360MM LIQUID COOLING & WiFi 7 - An 850W 80 Plus Gold certified power supply provides stable, efficient power with headroom for future upgrades, while a 360mm AIO liquid cooler, WiFi 7, and an ARGB mid-tower case keep the Ryzen 7 CPU cool and connected in a clean build.
- READY TO PLAY OUT OF THE BOX - Arrives fully assembled and tested with Windows 11 Home pre-installed, so your prebuilt gaming computer is ready to set up in minutes. Assembled in the USA, and backed by a one-year limited warranty and lifetime free technical support.
Do not mistake a gaming-computer study for a 24/7 server estimate
A surfaced Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory figure reports 1,394 kWh per year for an average gaming computer plus display under a profile based on 4.4 hours of gaming per day. The year was not established in the surfaced result. It is not a 24/7 server test, includes a display and does not measure your PC, so it cannot supply the expected consumption or cost for this scenario. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Taming the Energy Use of Gaming Computers
Compare alternatives on equal terms
If you are deciding whether to leave an old PC running or use another setup, compare measured wall watts under the same streaming workload, your own electricity rate, encoding capability and reliability. A cheaper-to-run device is not necessarily a useful substitute if it cannot deliver the stream quality you need or recover reliably.
Best Value
- CPU: AMD Ryzen7 5700X (up to 4.6GHz) 8-Core 16-Thread to easily handle multi-line tasks
- Main board: MSI B550M-A PRO motherboard provides reliable performance and stability
- GPU: Geforce RTX 5060 8GB GDDR7 Graphics Cards (Brand may vary) Support DLSS 4 multi frame generation, ray tracing, and Reflex 2 delay optimization
- RAM: 32GB DDR4 3200MHz (16GB*2) SSD: 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe
- Power supply: 650W (80plus bronze) certified for energy efficiency and stable performance
Or let it run in the cloud
StreamNeo is a cloud service for keeping a YouTube channel live 24/7 from uploaded videos: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. The cloud continues streaming with your computer off; it automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. Videos stream as uploaded, up to 4K 60fps, at one flat price per slot regardless of quality. The first day is free with no card. Monthly pricing is $9.99 per month. See StreamNeo or its pricing page. Start your free first day with StreamNeo.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
